The Old Glebe House at Woodbury and Its Historic Background

by George T. Linsley

Excerpt

The Old Glebe House in Woodbury has for years past been the property of the Diocese of. Connecticut. During these years committees have been appointed and attempts have been made from time to time to make use of the old house for philanthropic or historical purposes, but all such efforts have been unsuccessful. In November, 1922, however, Bishop Acheson appointed a new committee Whose duty it should be to make one more attempt to save this interesting house from,the decay or destruction which has, alas, swept away so many of the old colonial houses of New England.

Since this new revival of interest in the house architects, after careful examination, have decided that it shows two distinct periods of construct1on. In their opinion it was originally built as a one -room house about the latter half of the seventeenth century. The porch and chimney, together with the upper and lower rooms at their left, seem to have been the original part. About 1750 the other two rooms at the right of the chimney were added together with the large kitchen which extends across the back. The Whole was then roofed over making the one typically colonial-house that we see today. The chimney is of cobble stones and uncapped the roof gambrel in front sloping in a gambrel curve at the back over the lean-to kitchen. A second lean-to and shed are now at the back of the house which are evidently a very late addition and in the restoration will be removed. The usual clump of old lilacs clusters about One corner while fine trees cast their shade over its roof. Within, much of the original panelling may still be seen and much that is very good, particularly in the lower room at the left of the porch where the election of Samuel Seabury occurred. In a closet under the stairs may be seen the sliding panel through which it is said that the royalist rector, the Rev. John Rutgers Marshall, who resided in the house at the time of the Revolution, used to slip into the cellar when surprised by his Whig enemies.